CRITERIA FOR DESIGNING AND MANUFACTURING USABLE CONSUMER PRODUCTS:

1.Functionality
Most design activities are preceded by obtaining information regarding the needs of users through market research (McClelland, 1990). It involves the creation of synthesized solutions in the form of products that satisfy users perceived needs through the mapping of functional requirements in the functional domain and the design parameters in physical domain, and the proper selection of design parameters that satisfy the functional requirements. This mapping is not unique and the outcome depends on the creative process of individual designer.
Techniques to enhance the creative process:
*trigger word technique- definition statement is analyzed recursively to create different set of connotations and ides to solve the problem.
*checklist technique- consist of standard set of questions and focuses on various ways of addressing the problem.
*morphological technique- analyzing the problem to determine the independent parameters involved.
*attribute seeking technique- all essential characteristics are singled out and analyzed individually, using either the trigger word or the checklist approach.
*Gordon technique- deals with the basic underlying concepts involves in the situation, instead of considering the obvious aspects of the given problem.
*brainstorming technique- is a group-ideation technique usually consisting of six to eight individuals who are well conversant with the field.



2. Ease of operation
A product is considered user friendly if the functions allocated to humans are within the limitations of their abilities and constraints, and the product user interface is physically comfortable and mentally not stressful (Haubner 1993). The system should be easy to learn, easy to remember, and relatively error free (Neilson, 1992-1993b). As the user product interaction continues becoming less physical and more cognitive, it is essential to understand the cognition of products semantics, that is,the symbolic interaction between users and products.


3. Aesthetics
A customer's perception of a product's value is based in part on its aesthetic appeal (Logan,Augaitis, and Renk.1994). An attractive product may create a sense of high fashion,image and pride of ownership (Akita.1991). The design of products should induce a positive sensual feeling.
KANSEL ENGINEERING is a technology that translate consumers' feeling and image of a product into design elements.
KE type I -deals with design elements of new products.
KE type II - Utilizes current computer technologies,such as expert system and neural network models.
KE type III -is the mathematical logic model.